Mourners splash and toss flowers at the memorial paddle-out for Eric Reno of Sunset Beach on Sunday May 7, 2017 About 200 turned out to honor the life of Eric Reno who died while surfing near 19th street. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

An ocean tribute for surfer and musician Eric Reno was held on Sunday in Sunset Beach, drawing about 200 friends and loved ones to the quaint Orange County beach community for a final farewell.

After a night of rain, the skies cleared Sunday morning for the tribute in front of Reno’s home. Forty-seven people entered the water for the memorial in honor of Reno, a 46-year-old who was pulled from the water while out surfing on April 21.

The Orange County Coroner’s Office has not released a cause of death.

Reno’s uncle, Alex Kiilehua of Corona, delivered a prayer to the crowd gathered for a paddle out in Reno’s honor.

“We are gathered here as his family and friends to return Eric to his beloved home – the sea. Eric is a child of the sea because here is where he drew his strength and where he found peace. Accept and receive him into your arms, Lord of the Sea, and love him as we do.”

His mother Rowena Reno watched the paddle out with Reno’s girlfriend Susanne Pelle at her side.

The sun shone as the sky cleared long enough for the life celebration. The crowd marveled as a dolphin played in the sea as the paddle-out circle formed.

“I feel overwhelmed with the friendship and love for my son. It warmed my heart. This is where he loved to be. Surfing was his life, ” said Rowena Reno.

Reno’s cousin, Will Mulcahy of Long Beach, paddled out on the blue board that Eric rode the day he died – a board that Mulcahy had loaned to him.

“It was beautiful,” said Mulcahy after the paddle out, “It was perfect. Eric was just a beautiful person. All of us felt him.”

Rowena Reno, left, embraces Robert DiPietro, right, after he returned to shore following a paddle-out for her son Eric Reno.”Eric was with me,” said DiPietro. About 200 mourners turned out at Sunset Beach on Sunday May 7, 2017 to honor the life of Eric Reno who drowned while surfing near 19th street. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Mourners splash and toss flowers at the memorial paddle-out for Eric Reno of Sunset Beach on Sunday May 7, 2017 About 200 turned out to honor the life of Eric Reno who died while surfing near 19th street. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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A surfboard memorial for Eric Reno is covered in remembrances. About 200 mourners turned out at Sunset Beach on Sunday May 7, 2017 to honor the life of Eric Reno who drowned while surfing near 19th street. Forty-seven surfers paddled out as others watched from shore. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Eric Reno’s uncle Alex Kiilehua delivered a prayer before the paddle-out on Sunday May 7, 2017. ” Eric is a child of the sea because here is where he drew his strength and where he found peace,” said Kiilehua. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Eric Reno’s cousin Will Mulcahy, of Long Beach, left, is greeted by Reno’s mother Rowena Reno, right, after coming in from the surf following a paddle-out for Eric Reno. Mulcahy carries the board Reno was using at the time of his death and which he had borrowed from Mulcahy. About 200 mourners turned out at Sunset Beach on Sunday May 7, 2017 for the memorial. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Surfers carried flowers for the memorial paddle-out for Eric Reno on Sunday May 7, 2017 in Sunset Beach. About 200 turned up honor the life of Eric Reno who drowned while surfing near 19th street. Forty-seven surfers paddled out as others watched from shore. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Rowena Reno is hugged by a fellow mourner following a paddle-out for her son Eric Reno. The board Reno was using at the time of his death lays on the sand at right. About 200 mourners turned out at Sunset Beach on Sunday May 7, 2017 for the memorial. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Rene Kalucca blows a conch shell at a paddle-out memorial for friend and neighbor Eric Reno who drowned while surfing near 19th street. About 200 mourners turned out at Sunset Beach on Sunday May 7, 2017 to either paddled out or watch from shore. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

T.J. Conway cheers after tossing flowers into the ocean at a memorial paddle-out for Eric Reno at Sunset Beach on Sunday May 7, 2017. About 200 people turned out to either participate in the paddled-out or watch from shore. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Surfers splash, cheer and toss flowers at a memorial paddle-out for Eric Reno on Sunday May 7, 2017. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Family and friends toss flowers into the ocean during a paddle-out memorial for Eric Reno on Sunday May 7, 2017 in Sunset Beach. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A surfboard memorial for Eric Reno is covered in remembrances. About 200 mourners turned out at Sunset Beach on Sunday May 7, 2017 to honor the life of Eric Reno who drowned while surfing near 19th street. Forty-seven surfers paddled out as others watched from shore. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

About 200 mourners turned out at Sunset Beach on Sunday May 7, 2017 to honor the life of Eric Reno who drowned while surfing near 19th street. Forty-seven surfers paddled out as others watched from shore. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A dolphin swims by the memorial paddle-out for Eric Reno of Sunset Beach on Sunday May 7, 2017 About 200 turned out to honor the life of Eric Reno who died while surfing near 19th street where he lived. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Reno was a member of Sons of Mothers, a rock cover band for which Reno sang vocals and played guitar, harmonica and banjo.

Reno often entered the local Surfside 70s contest that bring together Sunset Beach surfers and he was sponsored by the surf brand Rip Curl in the ’80s. He also surfed in the NSSA amateur circuit in his younger years.

Reno worked for a roofing company by day, and at night could be found performing gigs around the Sunset Beach, Huntington Beach and Long Beach areas. Friend Brad Lane called his band “the backbone of the Sunset Beach music scene.”

Laylan Connelly started as a journalist in 2002 after earning a degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. Through the years, she has covered several cities for The Orange County Register, starting as a beat reporter in Irvine before focusing on coastal cities such as Newport Beach, Dana Point and Laguna Beach. In 2007, she was selected for a prestigious Knight New Media fellowship focusing on digital media at UC Berkeley, where she learned skills to adapt to the ever-changing online landscape. Using a web-based approach, she turned her love for the ocean into a full-time gig as the paper’s beaches reporter. The unique beat allows her to delve into coastal culture by covering everything from the countless events dotting the 42 miles of coastline, to the business climate of the surf industry, to the fascinating wildlife that shows up on the shores. Most importantly, she takes pride in telling stories of the people who make the beaches so special, whether they are surfers using the ocean to heal, or the founders of major surf brands who helped spawn an entire culture, or people who tirelessly fight to keep the coast pristine and open for all to enjoy. She’s a world traveler who loves to explore the slopes during winter months or exotic surf spots around the globe. When she’s not working, or maybe while she's researching a story, you can find her longboarding at her favorite surf spots at San Onofre or Doheny.